August 27, 2018

Consumers Rebel Against Digital Overlords

Endless reports about online privacy and security issues seem to be having an effect on user behavior. Pew Research Center finds that more than half of U.S. teens are trying to cut back usage of social media (57%), video games (58%) and mobile phones (52%). They worry about their parents too: 51% of teens say a parent or caregiver has been distracted by their own phone when trying to converse with them. Plenty more in this vein.

In fact, those crazy kids aren’t as glued to their smartphones as everyone assumes. A global survey of college students by Ad Age Studio 30 and UNiDAYS found 94% own a laptop, 32% watch streaming video on a conventional TV, and a whopping 77% read printed books. More than half (58%) don’t trust Facebook with their personal data and 78% are selective in sharing location with apps. But they’re not cave-people: 80% get news from social media compared with just 13% from print.

More bad news for Facebook: while consumers list Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft in the top ten most ethical companies, Facebook doesn’t appear in the top twenty. This from brand research agency Morning Consult, in a report with much advice about businesses taking social and political positions. Mostly they suggest you don’t.

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